Prevalence of fatty liver and its related factors in children

Abstract

Background: Fatty liver disease is a severe liver condition that affects youngsters. Liver disease in children increases the incidence of liver fibrosis in their adulthood. Due to the importance of this disease and related factors in children, such as diabetes and obesity, our study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of fatty liver in children.

Materials and methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study done in Ali Asghar Hospital from June 2020 to December 2020. Demographic characteristics and prevalence of fatty liver were assessed. Blood samples were obtained after ten hours of fasting to assess AST, ALT, ALP, and blood glucose levels. Ultrasound was also used to check the health of the liver. Walking to school and exercising were also assessed. Data were analyzed using statistical software.

Results: This research included 2526 children, and 37 of them had fatty liver. Fatty liver was more common in children with a BMI greater than 30, as well as metabolic and hypoparathyroid illness (P = 0.02). A significant association was observed between exercise and walking with fatty liver disease (P < 0.05). The majority of the individuals had grade 1 fatty liver (75.5%). Grade 1 fatty liver was seen in 90% of those who did not participate in athletics and 95% of those who did not walk to school. In addition, 94% of patients who exercised for less than ten minutes had grade 1fatty liver.

Conclusion: Initially, exercise and weight loss had an essential effect on fatty liver disease. In fact, lifestyle changes and prevention of obesity may reduce liver damage.

Keywords: Children; fatty liver; inflammation; liver; prevalence; screening.